Cavemen!

I must admit that the first thing I noticed about the Playmobil Stone Age set is the blatant lack of women.  While most images of archaeology have women predominately in the background, this game goes a step further and provides only cavemen.  I wonder if kids using this game ever wonder about the other half of the human race in this prehistoric era…

To me, it feels like Playmobil is utilizing children’s fascination with the past to sell a toy.  I suppose that almost all the toys we’ve examined in this blog are at least partially guilty of this as well.  Still, at least the toy includes distinctive features of this historical time period—even of those aspects are rather generalized and stereotypical.  

One of the stranger aspects included in the play-set is a plastic plant.  I can understand the fire pit and primitive weapons.  Although I’m not sure when wolves were domesticated, the wolf pet seems at least plausible to me.  However, I am far from sold on the addition of a potted fern.  I thought mammoths and caveman existed during the ice age?  Wouldn't a mountain of snow be more appropriate next to the giant mammoth tent then a convenient houseplant?  

But I’m just harping on the authenticity of this toy’s details—as a kid, I would have loved a game like this.   The toy has lots of complex parts, detailed figurines (well…almost) and a tent you can build from a mammoth skeleton!